Vice President of Partnerships (Ref: 198468)

Job Title: Vice President of Partnerships (Ref: 198468)

Salary: $125,000 + Bonus

Location: West-Coast, USA (Hybrid)

Contact: james.gershfield@forsythbarnes.com

An established sports marketing and commercial partnerships business is looking to appoint a Vice President to lead and develop its sports portfolio.

This is a senior commercial leadership opportunity for an experienced sponsorship sales professional with a strong track record of originating, negotiating and securing high-value commercial partnerships within the sports industry.

The successful individual will take ownership of a growing portfolio of sporting properties. They will be responsible for driving revenue growth, developing strategic brand relationships and identifying new commercial opportunities.

Alongside managing their own portfolio of business, the individual will play a key role in developing the wider sales function, leading a team and helping shape the future growth of this area of the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the commercial portfolio, taking ownership of client relationships, revenue generation and overall business growth.
• Manage, mentor and develop business development professionals, providing commercial direction and leadership.
• Drive new sponsorship and partnership sales across a portfolio of established and emerging sporting properties.
• Leverage an established network of senior corporate contacts and brand relationships to generate incremental commercial opportunities.
• Identify cross-selling opportunities across wider sports, entertainment, hospitality and commercial partnership offerings.
• Lead senior-level sales presentations, pitches and negotiations with prospective brand partners.
• Develop and execute proactive business development strategies to generate and convert new commercial opportunities.
• Manage the full sales lifecycle, from prospect identification and lead generation through to proposal development, negotiation and contract closure.
• Act as a senior point of contact for key clients, building trusted relationships and ensuring effective communication across internal teams.
• Provide leadership and direction to the wider property sales function, setting standards for performance and accountability.
• Maintain regular reporting on business development activity, sales pipelines, revenue forecasts and progress against commercial targets.
• Work closely with senior leadership on strategic initiatives and wider business development opportunities.

Performance Expectations

Success in this role will be measured through:

• Consistently achieving and exceeding individual and portfolio revenue targets.
• Generating a strong pipeline of new commercial opportunities and maintaining consistent sales activity.
• Converting prospective partnerships into meaningful, high-value commercial agreements.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with senior decision-makers across the corporate and sports sponsorship landscape.
• Providing clear and accurate reporting on pipeline development, sales activity and revenue forecasts.
• Demonstrating strong leadership, collaboration and commercial judgement.

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Sports Management, Marketing or a related discipline preferred.
• 5–7+ years' experience in sponsorship sales, commercial partnerships or business development within sport.
• Strong understanding of the sports sponsorship landscape, ideally with direct experience across racket sports.
• A demonstrable track record of originating and closing significant sponsorship and partnership agreements.
• An established network of senior brand-side contacts and commercial relationships.
• Experience managing and developing commercial teams or business development professionals.

Key Skills & Attributes

• A commercially driven leader with the ability to motivate, develop and lead high-performing teams.
• Strong business development instincts and the ability to identify and convert new revenue opportunities.
• Exceptional negotiation, influencing and relationship management skills.
• Confident presenting to and engaging with senior-level stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced and evolving commercial environment.
• Strong organisational skills, attention to detail and accountability.